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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559770">Unity and Covert Intimacy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/onemechanicalalligator/pseuds/onemechanicalalligator'>onemechanicalalligator</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Community (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Friendship, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Reunions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:07:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,876</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/onemechanicalalligator/pseuds/onemechanicalalligator</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Troy and Abed want some private time when Troy returns from his boat trip, but they're also not quite ready to tell their friends that they're together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>231</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unity and Covert Intimacy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two years after setting sail on the <em> Childish Tycoon, </em> Troy emails his friends to let them know he’s finally coming home. It’s not a huge shock or anything, because they’ve been in touch the whole time he’s been gone, and Annie is tracking his progress with pushpins on a map she keeps in her apartment in DC. She texts a photo of it to the whole group every time she adds another pin, and Abed keeps them in a folder and likes to swipe through them like a flipbook, watching Troy’s progress. It’s not a surprise, but it is a cause for excitement and celebration, and everyone starts making plans to get together, and when Troy announces he’ll be docking in Los Angeles, no one seems particularly surprised, because of course Troy would want to go to his best friend.</p>
<p>And Troy and Abed are relieved that no one is surprised, because they didn’t want to have to explain the reasoning, they didn’t want to tell the group the truth quite yet. They want to keep their relationship a secret, something that’s only theirs, even if it’s just for a little while. They just want a chance to be together, in person, by themselves, before it’s everyone else’s business too. It’s been almost a year since Troy couldn’t take it anymore and drunkenly confessed to Abed over Skype that he’d been in love with him for years, and Abed wasn’t drunk at all but didn’t need to be to immediately tell Troy he felt the same way, to spill the secrets that had been threatening to burst out of his heart for ages, and then they laughed for a long time at what idiots they had been, and then they cried for even longer because they couldn’t kiss.</p>
<p>Abed thinks they’ve pretty much mastered the essentials of long distance relationships: phone sex, Skype sex, sexy emails and voice clips. They are intimately familiar with what their own hands can do, and it’s never enough, coming alone will never be enough. Abed is amazed to find there are still so many things to learn about Troy, things that turn him on, like getting praise, or taking orders. Or the way Abed rolls a coin across the back of his fingers, or, really, anything to do with Abed’s fingers. He files all of these things away, picks and chooses as needed, anytime he wants to make Troy feel good.</p>
<p>The day before Troy is scheduled to arrive everyone flies to LA, Jeff and Annie and Britta and Frankie and Shirley, and they get rooms at a hotel near Abed’s apartment and then show up at his place to meet for dinner. They say they’ll be there at 6pm, and then Abed gets a text message at 5:21 saying they’ll be there in five minutes, and it’s not that he hates when people change the times of things (except he does hate that, he hates it so much), the real problem is the text arrives while he’s on a video call with Troy, and they are at kind of a crucial part of their conversation, the part where Abed comes all over his own stomach just as Jeff’s fucking face pops up on the screen.</p>
<p>“Fuck!” exclaims Abed, dropping the phone on his face and then quickly picking it up again.</p>
<p>“That good, huh?” Troy says with a smirk, and Abed rolls his eyes.</p>
<p>“No! I mean, yes, that was very, very good, Troy, you’re amazing. But the swear was because Jeff just texted me that everyone’s going to be here in five minutes. And then I dropped the phone.”</p>
<p>“Dude, go! Run! Clean up! Get dressed!” Troy shouts. “I’ll see you tomorrow! I love you!”</p>
<p>“See you tomorrow,” gasps Abed, scrambling for the damp washcloth that’s waiting on the nightstand. “Love you, bye!” He throws the phone down and gets to work, and he’s pulling his hoodie on when the knock comes at the door. He glances at the mirror, then at his room, and finally opens the front door.</p>
<p>It’s everyone, and they’re happy to see him, and happy to be together, and the last of his frustration melts away as he invites them inside. It’s not a big apartment, but it’s bigger than the studio he lived in when he first moved out here, so it always feels kind of huge to him. He doesn’t have enough chairs to sit everyone, but it doesn’t really matter since they’re going out to eat anyway, they just wanted to see Abed’s apartment before they go.</p>
<p>“It reminds me so much of our apartment in Colorado!” exclaims Annie. </p>
<p>“That’s because there’s mismatched furniture and piles of DVDs everywhere,” Abed points out, and Annie bursts into tears and throws her arms around him. </p>
<p>“I miss you so much,” she whispers. “I can’t believe Troy’s finally coming home. And we’re all here together, just like old times!”</p>
<p><em> Not exactly just like old times, </em> Abed thinks, and then he nods and hugs Annie tighter. They have a weekly Skype date, and it’s great, but it’s not the same as when they lived together.</p>
<p>“It looks like you’re doing well,” Jeff says, nudging Annie out of the way and giving Abed a hug. “I’m glad. I’m proud of you.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Jeff,” Abed says, and he’d forgotten how good Jeff’s hugs are.</p>
<p>“My turn!” calls Shirley, and envelops Abed, and he hasn’t seen her in so long, and she smells just the same, like vanilla and warm and love, and he squeezes her extra tight.</p>
<p>“Hi, Shirley,” he says fondly.</p>
<p>“It’s good to see you, Abed,” she says, her voice muffled by his chest. “Do you like it in California?”</p>
<p>“It’s good,” he says. “I love my job. And I like to go running on the beach. I think this is where I belong.”</p>
<p>“I’m so glad to hear it,” she says, and then steps out of the way for Frankie.</p>
<p>“Hey, Abed,” she says, and she doesn’t hug him, and he doesn’t mind because he’s kind of hugged out for the moment. “Nice to see you. We miss you.”</p>
<p>“I miss you too,” Abed says. “How’s Greendale?”</p>
<p>“Oh, the same,” she sighs. “My job is pretty much still just making sure Craig doesn’t bankrupt the school and keeping Jeff on the straight-and-narrow.”</p>
<p>“Both noble endeavors,” Abed says sincerely. </p>
<p>“Abed!” Britta bounces up and Frankie smiles and steps away with a small wave. Britta wraps her arms around Abed. “How are you?”</p>
<p>“I’m good,” he says. “How are you? How’s the Master’s program?”</p>
<p>“I’m getting there,” she sighs. “Someday I <em> will </em> be a therapist. Hey, did you know it’s unethical to therapize your friends?”</p>
<p>“I did know that, yes,” Abed says dryly.</p>
<p>“Oh. Well. Sorry I did that,” she says.</p>
<p>“It’s okay. I forgave you a long time ago.”</p>
<p>“I miss you so much,” she says, and hugs him even tighter.</p>
<p>“Miss you too,” he says. “Should we go to dinner?”</p>
<p>He herds them out of the apartment and down the street to a pizza place that has low-carb options for Jeff and vegan options for Britta, and it’s the first time he’s really appreciated that aspect of LA culture. </p>
<p>It’s an excellent night, and they all have fun, and then his friends go back to the hotel and Abed goes to his apartment. He gets ready for bed, and then he lays there watching movies until 3AM because he’s too excited about Troy’s return to fall asleep.</p>
<p>Troy is docking mid-morning, so they all decide to meet there. Abed can’t stop bouncing while he gets ready, and changes his outfit twice even though he knows Troy won’t care what he’s wearing, and everyone else has already arrived when he gets there. Everyone except for Troy, who shows up about a half an hour later, and they’re all in a cluster watching, waiting for him to get off the boat, and then Annie pushes Abed forward.</p>
<p>“You should see him first,” she says. “You guys are the closest.”</p>
<p>Abed looks back at everyone to make sure it’s okay, and they all nod encouragingly, and he’s never loved Annie so much in his life, Annie who doesn’t even understand the gift she’s given him. He runs to the dock just as Troy steps off the boat, and then Troy is running, too, and they crash into a hug.</p>
<p>“You still okay with waiting to tell them?” Troy asks quietly, before anything else.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” breathes Abed.</p>
<p>“Okay, just wanted to make sure, because otherwise I don’t think I could keep my hands off of you.”</p>
<p>“Don’t say things like that yet,” Abed says. “As soon as we can find an excuse to be alone…”</p>
<p>“I know,” Troy says. “Okay. Are you ready?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Abed says. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>They turn to face the group, and Abed sneaks his hand behind Troy and squeezes his ass, then starts walking like nothing happened, trying not to smile at the squeaking sound Troy makes as he tries to catch up.</p>
<p>Then it’s all just a jumble of laughing and screaming and hugging and talking, and when it starts to die down, Abed brings Frankie over to Troy to introduce them.</p>
<p>“I know you guys will love each other,” Abed says, “because I love both of you.”</p>
<p>Frankie gets teary-eyed and Troy grins and Abed knows that he’s right and they’ll be great friends.</p>
<p>“Are your steel drums on the boat?” Frankie asks, and Abed nods violently from behind her.</p>
<p>“Yup,” Troy says, eyes wide because he’s so bad at lying, and then Abed drags them back into the group.</p>
<p>“Let’s go to lunch,” Annie says, and they find a restaurant nearby that has room for all of them, and they sit down at a table.</p>
<p>“I’ll be right back,” Abed says, and goes to the bathroom, hoping Troy will follow him. He does, a moment later, and Abed shuts the door behind him and then pins him to it, kissing him hard and hot and dirty, his last bit of control completely gone. Troy kisses back, grabs Abed’s ass, pulls him close. Abed thinks he could make out with Troy forever.</p>
<p>“We have...to go back…” Abed says eventually. “They’re gonna wonder...where we are.”</p>
<p>“Okay but...just…” Troy says. “Okay. Okay. Okay.” </p>
<p>Abed peels himself off of Troy and they stare at each other.</p>
<p>“We should cool off,” Abed says. “Before we go back out there.” He looks at both of them in the mirror, eyes dark, mouths red, and he turns on the sink and splashes some water on his face.</p>
<p>“Tell me something boring,” Troy says. “Or gross.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Help me get rid of this <em> boner,” </em> he hisses, just as the bathroom door opens and Jeff walks in, and Abed bends down and splashes more water on his face, and Troy takes a giant step toward the sink.</p>
<p>“You okay, Abed?” Jeff asks, as Abed grabs some paper towels and dries off his face.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Abed says. “I got, um. Emotional.”</p>
<p>Troy snorts and disguises it with a coughing fit, which is enough to distract Jeff, who pats him on the back a few times.</p>
<p>“I’m going back out there,” Abed says. “By the way, Troy, your beard looks really good.”</p>
<p>“I’ll, uh, be right out,” mutters Troy, and walks quickly to a stall and shuts the door. Jeff gives Abed a <em> what’s that about? </em> look, and Abed shrugs and leaves the bathroom, grinning to himself, and it’s a while before Troy joins them again. He bumps Abed with his shoulder when he sits down, and Abed reaches for his hand under the table and laces their fingers together and they both squeeze, and now Abed really is getting emotional.</p>
<p>It’s a nice meal, with lots of talking and laughing and remembering and explaining, and afterwards they go back to Abed’s apartment. As soon as everyone gets inside Abed turns to Troy.</p>
<p>“Sit down on the couch,” he says, softly enough to sound like a friendly suggestion, but direct enough that Troy hears it for what it is: an order.</p>
<p>Troy looks at him, wide-eyed, and then goes and sits down on the couch. Abed follows him, and everyone else gets distracted looking at the photos Abed has on the wall in the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Put your feet up,” Abed says, nodding at the beat-up coffee table. Troy does, and then reaches over and picks up a folded up blanket at the other end of the couch and casually drops it into his lap.</p>
<p>“Cold?” Abed says with a smirk.</p>
<p>“Sure,” Troy says, biting his bottom lip.</p>
<p>Britta walks up and looks at Troy, then at Abed, then back at Troy.</p>
<p>“Holy shit, you guys finally got together, didn’t you?” she hisses. </p>
<p>“What.” says Abed, startled. “Why would you say that?”</p>
<p>“I dated Troy, dummy. I know that face. Did you give him a compliment? Or an order?”</p>
<p>“Jesus, Britta,” Troy groans.</p>
<p>“An order,” Abed says, grinning at Britta. “And we’ve been together for almost a year. But we didn’t want to tell anyone yet.”</p>
<p>“Are you worried about how they’ll react?” Britta says. “Because you know they already thought you guys were together back in Greendale.”</p>
<p>“No, we just wanted to be together for a little bit without everyone asking questions and everything,”  Troy says. “Also, if one of you guys could have <em> mentioned that to us when we were at Greendale, </em> that might have been helpful.”</p>
<p>“We didn’t realize you guys were that dumb,” Britta says, shrugging. “Sorry. Our bad.”</p>
<p>“To make it up to us,” Abed says. “How about you find a way to get everyone out of here so Troy and I can have some time alone? And then we’ll meet back up, I promise. We just need like...half an hour.”</p>
<p>“An hour,” Troy corrects, and Britta laughs. </p>
<p>“Go ahead,” she says. “I’ll come up with something to tell them.”</p>
<p>“Troy, go to my room and lay on the bed,” Abed orders, and Troy gets up, still holding the blanket, and walks quickly into Abed’s bedroom.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Britta,” Abed says. “You’re a good wingman.”</p>
<p>“I’m just glad you guys are finally together,” she says. “Also, this means I won a bet. Anyway. Text me when you guys are done and we’ll meet up.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” he says, and slips into his room as Britta walks to the kitchen, where everyone is still gathered. Abed shuts the door.</p>
<p>Troy is laying on the bed, the blanket removed from his lap, a noticeable tent in his pants. Abed’s breath stutters and he lays down next to him.</p>
<p>“Kiss me,” Abed whispers, aware that their friends haven’t left yet, and Troy does, and this time it’s slow and sweet and thorough, a reunion and an exploration and a relief, a beginning and a middle and no end in sight. Troy reaches a hand up and pushes it into Abed’s hair and Abed gasps into his mouth.</p>
<p>Then they hear movement outside the door, and a second later the door to the apartment closes and everything is silent. Abed takes the opportunity to roll over so that he’s on top of Troy.</p>
<p>“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” Abed says. “Be with you, all of you, for real.”</p>
<p>“Me too,” Troy says, grabbing Abed’s ass and pushing their hips together. “I swear to god, if I had to jack off on that boat one more time…”</p>
<p>“You don’t,” Abed says, kissing him messily, desperately. “Never again.”</p>
<p>“Mmm,” says Troy. “God, Abed, I need…”</p>
<p>“Tell me what you need.”</p>
<p>“I need you.”</p>
<p>“What do you need from me?”</p>
<p>“Do you think we have time to do...<em> butt stuff?” </em> He whispers the last part the way a little kid would whisper <em> Santa Claus </em> or <em> candy store </em> or <em> ice cream truck. </em> </p>
<p>“Here’s what I think,” Abed says, and kisses Troy’s throat, his jaw, his temple, slow and sweet. “I think we’ve never had sex before, and an hour--less than an hour, now--isn’t enough time for me to fuck you properly.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Troy says, his face falling a little.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t finished,” Abed says, holding up one finger, and kisses him again on the mouth. “That doesn’t mean we can’t do butt stuff. Just not, you know, everything. I could finger you, if you wanted.”</p>
<p>“Oh my god, <em> would you?” </em> Troy breathes, his eyes huge, and Abed can feel him grow harder.</p>
<p>“Of course I would,” he says. “Can I take off your clothes?”</p>
<p>“Can I take off yours?” Troy asks, and Abed nods.</p>
<p>He brings Troy up to a sitting position and then pulls his t-shirt off, tossing it on the floor. He gets distracted for a minute, staring at Troy’s chest, his arms, his stomach, until Troy reaches out and tugs on his hoodie. Abed takes it off and then Troy helps him remove his t-shirt as well.</p>
<p>The pause and hug, savoring the feeling of bare skin against bare skin, warm and soft and intimate.</p>
<p>“I missed you so much,” Troy whispers, and sniffles.</p>
<p>“I missed you so much too,” Abed says, and he’s getting a little choked up, so he lowers them both back down to the bed, still hugging Troy, and they just lay there for a few minutes and hold each other, squeezing tight like they’re afraid they might be separated again, except they <em> won’t </em> be separated again, they’re together forever now.</p>
<p>“Take off your pants,” Abed whispers after a while, and Troy does, eagerly, and then he helps Abed do the same, and then they get caught up in the staring thing again, neither one of them able to take their eyes off the other, until--</p>
<p>“Have you done this before?” Troy asks suddenly, his voice a little uncertain.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Abed says. “Does that bother you?”</p>
<p>“No,” Troy says, and he doesn’t <em> sound </em> bothered, so Abed believes him.</p>
<p>“Have you?” Abed asks, out of curiosity.</p>
<p>“Just...you know, myself,” Troy says.</p>
<p>“Right, that I knew,” Abed says with a grin. “You should, um. Show me that in person. Sometime.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” says Troy, a little breathlessly. </p>
<p>“But not now,” Abed adds. “Now it’s my turn.”</p>
<p>Troy doesn’t say anything, he just makes a noise that is half-gasp and half-whimper and completely desperate. Abed reaches over to the nightstand and pulls a bottle of lube out of the drawer. He pours some in his hand to warm it up and then liberally coats his fingers.</p>
<p>“Come here,” he says, and helps Troy into a good position. “I love you,” he whispers. “So much.”</p>
<p>“I love you too.”</p>
<p>“Are you ready?” Abed asks, and Troy nods. Abed slowly inserts one finger, gauging the speed by the look on Troy’s face, the sounds he makes. Abed moves a little, stroking, reaching, and he listens to the way Troy’s breath speeds up, the way he sighs.</p>
<p>“More,” Troy says. “Please.” His voice is low and hoarse.</p>
<p>Abed obliges, adding a second finger, starting out gentle but reading Troy’s body language, moving with him, giving him what he wants, pausing every so often to ask, “Still okay?”</p>
<p>“Could you do more?” Troy asks, and it’s more of a moan, really.</p>
<p>So Abed adds a third finger, and he leans down and kisses Troy passionately, urgently, creating a rhythm, reaching to find the places that make Troy arch and buck and cry out, the places that make him say <em> there there there </em> or <em> please please please </em> or <em> god god god. </em> When he sees Troy reach a hand down to touch himself, Abed swoops in and does it first, wrapping his other hand around Troy’s dick and exploring, learning what Troy wants, what he likes.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing they’re alone in the apartment, because it turns out Troy is a screamer, and Abed knew that a little bit from their Skype sex, but Troy was always trying to keep quiet due to the close quarters on the boat. Now he’s not holding back, and he’s crying out, and it’s the most erotic thing Abed has ever experienced, these noises pouring out of Troy, the way he writhes and gasps. The sound he makes when he comes is almost enough to tip Abed over the edge, and he hasn’t even been <em> touched </em> yet.</p>
<p>Troy comes hard and all over Abed’s belly and then Abed gently pulls his fingers out and Troy collapses on the bed. Abed doesn’t do anything for a moment, just kind of marvels at what just happened, and then Troy rolls over and reaches out and begins to pull at Abed’s dick, jacking him off slowly, which is good because Abed knows it won’t take much for him to become undone, and when Troy shifts positions and sits up to kiss him, it just takes a flick of the tongue and Abed completely loses control. His orgasm pulls a loud groan from his throat, leaves him shuddering and shaking in Troy’s arms.</p>
<p>They lay there, blissed out and limp and <em> together, </em> and they don’t move until Abed’s phone vibrates and it’s Britta asking what the hell they’re doing, because everyone’s ready for dinner. He texts back the name of a restaurant and says they’ll meet them there.</p>
<p>“Do you feel like telling everyone about us at dinner?” Abed asks Troy.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think I’m fine with that,” Troy replies.</p>
<p>“Good, because I don’t know how else we’re going to explain why we’re showing up freshly showered,” Abed says. “Also, would you like to take a shower with me before we go to dinner?”</p>
<p>“Definitely,” Troy says, and that’s what they do.</p>
<p>Everyone else has already arrived at the restaurant when they get there, which makes it easy to make their announcement while they’re standing and everyone else is seated.</p>
<p>“We have something to tell you,” Abed says.</p>
<p>“No!” shouts Annie, at the same time that Jeff exclaims, “Are you freaking kidding me?”</p>
<p>“Does this mean Britta won?” Frankie pipes up.</p>
<p>“That’s right,” Shirley says. “Britta had ‘announce it immediately after the reunion.’”</p>
<p>Suddenly cash is being passed from hand to hand all the way around the table, and everyone is frowning except Britta, who is delighted.</p>
<p>“Well, that was easy, I guess,” Troy mutters to Abed, and they both go sit down.</p>
<p>“Welcome home,” Abed murmurs back, and kisses him on the mouth in front of all of their friends, and all of their friends are so busy with their bet that they don’t even notice at first. Then suddenly--</p>
<p>“Aww!” cries Annie, all of her attention suddenly on them, her hands clasped in front of her heart.</p>
<p>“We missed the important part, you guys,” Jeff says loudly. “Troy, Abed, we’re so happy for you. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”</p>
<p>“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that we’ve been waiting longer,” Troy says with a grin. “But thank you. We appreciate your support.”</p>
<p>“And we love you,” Abed adds. “Not as much as we love each other, but it’s pretty close.”</p>
<p>“To Trobed,” Britta says, raising her glass of water.</p>
<p>“To Trobed,” everyone repeats, and then there’s glasses clinking and friends laughing and lovers kissing and it’s more than any of them could have ever dreamed of.</p>
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